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February 10, 2012
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
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January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
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Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
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Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
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Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
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Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 26, 2005
/ 16 Shevat, 5765
Forced altruism
By
John Stossel
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When you have a lot of money, you can pay for a lot of things other people can't afford. Does that mean you should be able to make other people pay for things they don't want?
Last November, the people of California decided to contribute $3 billion to stem-cell research. More precisely, 6.48 million people in California decided to do that; another 4.5 million voted not to, but they lost. Since California voted, other states are moving in the same direction. The Associated Press reports officials in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and Connecticut are promoting state funding of stem-cell research. Last week, the acting governor of New Jersey, Richard J. Codey, announced that his state would spend $150 million to "build and equip" an institute for stem-cell research, which he asked New Jersey's voters to "put their faith behind" and fund with another $230 million.
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tapped Robert Klein, who led the California referendum campaign, to head his state's stem-cell program.
I spoke to Klein during the campaign. "We have to have this research," he said. "And in Washington, D.C., this research is paralyzed."
That's not exactly true. President Bush has limited embryonic stem-cell research that can be done with federal money. He has not blocked all use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research, and even the research the government won't sponsor remains legal. Researchers at Harvard, Vanderbilt and other private institutions are already spending millions on stem-cell study.
To treat denial of government funds for a particular research project as if it stopped that research entirely suggests a dangerous dependency. Much scientific progress has been the result of private initiative. Most new drug development comes from research funded by private companies. Just last year, a private plane reached space twice, inspired by a $10 million prize offered by private investors. In many cases, the only government support behind scientific progress has been the promise of a patent in order to channel private spending on a new technology to the person or company that created it. For other research, government didn't even do that much. We do not depend on the government for everything. Nor should we.
I happen to think stem-cell research is a good idea: Take an embryo that hasn't come close to consciousness and never will, harvest its stem cells, and work to save the lives of people who are desperate to live. But many Americans think that an embryo is already a person with a right to life and that to kill it is murder. Why should people who think abortion is murder be forced to pay for research that involves abortion?
Robert Klein thinks he can answer that question. "As a democracy," he told me, "we vote for public schools, and everyone contributes tax dollars to public schools. What we're doing here is really no different."
If that's true, where does it stop? California is already $53 billion in debt. This will add billions more.
And it's completely unnecessary. Many of the referendum's backers are among the richest people in America. Bill Gates has given billions to charity, but he and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar are so rich, they could pay the entire $3 billion themselves and still have $52 billion left. So why didn't they?
"I don't have those resources," Klein says, "and what we're trying to do is bring the society together." That sounds nice, until you realize that it's bringing society together by force for a cause many members of society consider absolutely immoral. Medical research isn't something, such as warfare or criminal law, that can only be handled by the government. It isn't even something, such as public education, that government has traditionally provided.
When I thought kidney research needed more money, I provided some of my own money. I didn't try to force others to give, too. The Associated Press says Klein has amassed a fortune, and in addition to Gates and Omidyar, he had movie stars behind his referendum. They have money. So, in varying quantities, do the 6.48 million people who voted yes in California; so do supporters of stem-cell research nationwide. They're free to contribute their own money to stem-cell research. Why should they get to use the power of government to force their opponents to pay for something those opponents consider murder?
Give Me a Break.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor John Stossel is co-anchor of ABC News' "20/20." To comment, please click here.
© 2005, by JFS Productions, Inc.
Distributed by Creators Syndicate, Inc.
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